Electrically-illuminated buoy



'Patented dan. 22, i924.

narra erre MATT ANUNDI, CLATSK'ANIE, OREGUN.

ELECTRICALLY-ILLUMINATED BUOY.

Application led September 26, 1923. Serial No. 664,913.

To all whom it may-concern.' y

Be it known that I, MATT ANUNDI, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Clatskanie, county of Columbia, State of Oregon, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement :in Electrically-Illuminated Buoys, of which the following is a specification.

One of the main objects of my invention is to provide an illuminated buoy which is lighted by electric means, the .buoy being so constructedI asto contain the electric means and the source of energy in a manner which would render these means normally unaffected by the action of the elements.

A further. and' more specific object is to provide means in a buoy ofthis character by which a storage battery may be carried inside of the buoy so as not only to be unaffected by the rocking of the buoy but also to-b'evunafected by the deposit of moisture through condensation within the buoy itself.

The special use to which I put my buoy is in connection with fishing nets and for this use it is necessary, that the buoy will be very sturdy and extremely water tight. When these nets are in use and are let drift down the stream, very often the bottom edge of the net will catch on a snag in the bed of the stream and the action of the downward flow of the stream will cause the net to be entirely submerged.

'A net caught b'y a snag in this manner may not be readily seen because of the depth of the water and although it is provided with floats which tend to make it buoyant and to raise it to the surface of the stream, very often these nets are lost.

On the other hand' when I have one of my buoys in place connected to the net and it is submerged the location of the position of the net is very easily seen because of the light and my buoy, also because of its relatively greater size, tends to more quickly lift the net from the snag and thus bring it to the surface. v

I am' aware tha-tattempts have been made to produce a buoy for this purpose which is illuminated and some have attempted to use storage batteries in connection therewith. These attempts have been unsuccessful in that the storage battery soonv absorbs the mositure which will collect within the buoy, due partly from leakage and partly because of-cond'ensation of moisture' on the inner surfaces of the walls of the buoy.

I, therefore, support'the storage battery .in my buoy centrally within the buoy and spaced substantially equi-distant from its walls. I support the buoy in this position in asubstantial moisture-proof box which is filled with mechanics waste which has the property of labsorbing this moisture and thus results in the storage battery being eective for its normal life and not rendered ineffective because of the absorption of moisture.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel lens for my buoy by which the light given off is thrown over a largerarea than heretofore. I attain this object by providing a-hollow cylindrical lens which seats over and at the sides of the electric bulb on my device. The lens is provided with` a 'number of angularly disposed faces at the top, which provide a mnltifaced lens, each face being arranged angularly with the other so as to direct the rays of light in different' directions. I have discovered that the lens which suits myjpurpose in the most eliicient manner is one which is made from an ordinary tumblerl and I hold this lens in place by. clamping means, the joint between the open face of the tumbler and the buoy beingsealed by a gasket, the clamping means tending to force the edge of the tumbler tightly in place against the gasket.

I describe the construction and operation of my invention in detail in the accompanying specification and show the relation of the .parts in the accompanying drawings, in which g f Fig. l is a diagrammatic perspective View of my improved buoy fastened to a net in place on a body of water;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l and shows diagrammatically the connection between the batteries and the'electric light bulb;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the lantern head of my buoy;

Fig. et is an enlarged perspective view of my improved lens; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are detailed views showing the construction of the'make-and-break in the electric system of my buoy.

My improved buoy is made with a conthe container f within the lower cone a2, it

being supported by lower brackets g and upper brackets g. This container f is preferably. water tight but open at the top and I place the batteries zI therein. These batteries are spaced apart and spaced from the sides and bottom of the container f by means of mechanics waste z' or similar substance which absorbs water more |readily than the cardboard covering of the batteries 71,. I

have found that it is important to place this material around the batteries in that it attracts the moisture within the container more readily than do the batteries and therefore any moisture in the container `due to condensation or otherwise will not affect the batteries in that this moistureis attracted to the waste and is absorbed thereby. As

will be noted in Fig. 2, this container and substantially all parts of the batteries and the weight d are below the dividing lineI between the portions a and a2 of the container. Thus, substantially allof the weight is in the bottom cone and thus the buoy always tends to remain upright in the water.

The cone a abuts against an outward extending flange 7' which is preferably welded or soldered thereto. 0n this flange I mount a truncated cone sectiony 1 and on the section le I mount the cup.4 shaped lens, which has fiuted portions Z. 'The two portions l.: and Zmerely rest on each other and are held in place against lateral movement by means of the guiding rods m which follow closely the contour of the parts and are held against longitudinal displacement 'by means of the cross pieces n.. which aremounted over theA top4 of the lens Z. There are preferably four of these guiding rods m which are positioned as at the four corners of a square and the cross pieces n are arranged normal to each other so as to extend between diagonal posts.'

The guide bars mare provided with threaded y ends m and nuts o are mounted thereon and force the cross pieces downwardly so as to clamp the portion 7c and the lens Ztightly in place. I provide a gasket p between the portion ic and the flange j and a 'ring shaped gasket 7' between the mouth of thev cup shaped lens and the portion 7c. Thus, as the nuts o are screwed downwardly, the lens and the portion la are forced firmly against the gasket so as to make a water tight connectim- The' batteries 7a, give off current which energizes the electric light bulb s. The bulb is connected to the battery by one wire t and a return wire u. I provide a make-andbreak member 'v in the connection u'which connects across the binding posts w and w The make-and-break member a forms a' connectionbetween' thesev binding posts and is provided with a slot v by which the connection is made with the binding post w and a notch lvzon the opposite end by which y, connection is made with the binding posts fw.

This notch o2 has an elongated lip o3 which will not pass by the binding posts w in the utmost adjustment with the binding posts w in the slotted hole o. That is, it is possible by adjusting the position of the binding posts fw in the slot fu to engage or disengage the slot v2 of the binding posts 'w but it is not possible to move the make-andbreak v in the downward direction beyond the binding post w. The binding posts 'w' are provided with an adjustable nut ai and insula- Itors 122. These nuts will hold the make-andbrea-k b in set position if screwed down on either of the binding posts and will only permit its release by loosening the saine. This type of connection is very important in that i-t has been found that ordinary make-andbreak will disengage itself due to the rough usage to which this buoy is subjected, and

head, a box-like battery holder supported,

centrally within the lower portion of the body, so spaced from the walls of the latter as not to be immersed in the water which maycollect in the buoybody during anyl inclination which it may assume, the lbattery holder having walls of substantial height, a battery element secured in the battery holder, a weight in the bottoni of the buoy body adapted to hold it in upright position while aoat.

2. In a buoy, a hollow body consisting of two oppositely. disposed conic portions in abutment at their bases, a lantern head removably mounted on one conic portion, a

box-likeI battery holder supported -by brackets affixed to said battery holder and extending radially therefrom centrally within the lower portion of the body, so spaced from the walls of the latteras not to be immersed in the water which may collect' in the buoy-body during any inclination which it may assume, the battery holder having walls of substantial height, the sides and bottom of the battery holder having a lining of material protecting the shell of the battery element from the moisture which may be contained within the buoy body, a weight in the bottom of the buoy Y bod `:Miapaai to noia it in upright position 4vwhi e afloat.

3. In a buoy, a hollow body consisting of i two oppositel disposed conic portions in labutment at t eir bases, a lantern head removably mounted on one conic portion, a box-like battery holder lsupported by brackets aliixed to the top and bottom of said battery holder and extending radially therefrom centrally within the lower portion of the body, so spaced from the walls abutment at their bases, a lantern head removably mounted on one conic portion, a box-like battery holder supported by brackets aiiiXed battery older having a lining of moisture absorbing material protecting the shell of rthe battery element from the moisture which tosaidfbattery holder and extending"radial-v l therefrom, centrally within the lower por tion of the body, so spaced from the -walls of the latter as not to beimmersed in thewater which may collectI in the buoy-body during any inclination which it may assume, the battery holder having walls of substantial hei ht, the sides and bottom of the may be contained within the buoy body, a weight in the lbottom of the buoy bod adapted to holdit in upright position whi e afloat.

erv havingga lining. of material fastened, the upper of said sisting of a removable cup shaped glass the '5. In a buoy, al-hollow-body,` a box-like battery holder supported centrally within the lower portion of the body, so spaced from the walls and bottom of the latter as not to be iuuner'sed in the water which may collect in the buoy-body during any inclination which it may assume.

6. In a buoy, a hollow body, a box-like battery holder supported centrally within the lower portion of the body, so spaced from the walls of the latter as not to be im'- mersed in the water which may collect in the buoy-body during any inclination which it'may assume, a battery element having a moisture absorbent shell, the sides and bottomv of the battery holder having a lining of moisture absorbing material protecting the Shell Vof the battery element from the.

moisture which may be contained within the buoy-body. A y

7. In a buoy, a removable-lantern head,

an electric lamp contained in the latter, said head comprising two sections, the lower ofV which constitutes a chamber in which the ends of the electric wires are fastened, the upper of `said sections consisting of a .removable cup shaped glass functioning as a lens, means for securlng said lantern head on the buo body.

i 8. In a uoy, a removable lanternv head,

an electric lamp contained in the latter,

said lhead comprising two sections, the lower of which constltutes a chamber in which the ends of the electric wires are sections consides of which are angularly disposed thus adapted to constitute a lensA with a plurality o f angularly disposed facs, means for securing said lantern head on the buoy. body.

MATT ANUNDI. 

